The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1887-02-24

a good horse and he knows one when
he sees him, and he has handled many
a hundred horses and mules during
his life time, his sales here averaging
more than 100 head per year That
he is careful business man and that
he is also fortunate is shown by the
fact that he has lost but four horses
during the entire twelve years that he
has been in the trade here, and he
now has a mare in his stable that he
bought twelve years ago and to-day
she is a better animal than she was
then.
Mr.. Squibb is popular with com
mercial men and others who have to
hire livery here, and he does the square
thing by them every time. He has
prospered in his business, and THE
COMET is glad OF it.
COL. r. II. DUNCAN.
Outside Of those who are brought
into immediate business contact with
the gentleman whose name we have
Just written, few appreciate either the
nature or extent of his trade opera
tions, which though they make little
or no surface show, enter largely into
the business affairs of all this section.
How many people, for instance, would
at first glance believe that Col. Dun
gan employs certainly not less than
1000 men, but he does, as The COMET
will show. To begin with, he is the
principal buyer and shipper of slaves
in all this region, his operations be-
ginning at Glade Springs and extern
ding to Morristown. At these and all
intervening points he has local buyers
who purchase on his account what
ever slaves are offered, and which are
brought in by farmers and profession
al stave cutters, 1t takes 35 wagon
loads to fill car, and in preparing
that car load an average Of 80 persons
: have been employed. Now Col. Dun
gan's purchases for last year reached
the grand total of one and half to
two million slaves, so one can readily
estimate the labor involved, especially
in view of the fact that these slaves
are all hand-dressed, and at least nine.
tenths OF them are white oak the re-
mainder are red oak.
Where do they all go to? Does. the
5 reader ask?
I Well, Col. DUNCAN ships the entire
1 product to Norfolk, Va, (whoso only
: rival in this trade is New Orleans) anC
3 from Norfolk they are exported tC
South America, the West India is
i lands and to Europe. 1t is an inter
r est that figures largely In our export
d industry, and yet it is one which We
o seldom read of. In the case of Col
: DUNCAN it "totes up" $4,000 per an
n mum, and yet, as we have said before
S it makes no display--is scarcely eve
heard Of We may also remark tha
Col. DUNCAN is quite an extensive buy
: er and shipper of walnut lumber
q hauling it at various points in car lot
4 and shipping it to New York and Phil
:. adelphia, but we are uninformed as tt
d the aggregate of his ahnual:purchase
=. in this time-it is, at all events subor
q dinate to the stave business.
y How he came to engage in such a
industry is worth mentioning, Fror
n 1867 to 1875 he was Principal of Ho1
q ston Institute, and during that tim
d many of his patrons paid up their ir
II debtedness in slaves. He disposed
20 them as best he could was led to il
vestigate the details of the stave bus
- ness, and about this time an opportl
y nifty offered him 10 sell the Institut
70 property. He did so, turned h
" whole time and attention to the stay
of trade, and his present the result.
- This leads us to few words of pc
70 sonal comment concerning Col. Dul
"a gan. He is a gentlemen just passe
90 so years of age,-a Virginian by birt
and having more the appearance of
German professor than a lumber de
ler.-He was educated at Emory al
en- Henry College, but abandoning Il
p alma mater on a Thursday in 1861 Il
70 next day he became a volunteer
IL in the Confederate army. He W
IL commissioned Lieutenant in the 48
y Va; one year later he was promot
III to a Captaincy and six months lat
he was made Lieutenant Colonel. A
ISL ter the battle of Characteristic
oe received his commission Colonel
IT. hisregiment, and he led it from tn
ul- time until the surrender, being enga
OIL ed in action with the Federals on t
ar. morning OF the memorable day of A
err pomattox.
ng Col. DUNCAN, like thousands of v
ID. eran Confederates, had the world
IN fore him-it was to be his oyster, a
Ike with what implements should he op
,ut it? Before the war he had taug
lat school--his college education had
ted him 10 fnllnu, thnt ne fo.siA.